Taboo Conintor's Story
by Caroline L'Amoure
Summary: Society frowns upon those who are 'different'. Whether it be social status, or sexual preference. Conintor must live with his decision to lead his life how he wants to- to love, and to live. His decision will not be easy, but life never is.  Yaoi
1. Chapter 1

He ran through the halls of the keep, books in his arms as his green and golden robe flapped behind him in his rush. He weaved through the other magi, occasionally bumping into someone with a quick apology before continuing in his hurry. Finally he skidded to a stop outside a large door, opening it as he gasped for breath from sprinting.  
>"Conintor, you're late." A man said gruffly, sitting behind a large desk with a small mantis hissing and raising its pincers angrily toward the young magi.<br>"Sorry master Faux." Conintor said, sitting in the large plush chair in front of the desk. He sat, glancing nervously at the mantis as it hissed again. That creature had never liked him.  
>"This is your last year before you finish your training, Conintor. I suggest you take your studies more seriously." The man frowned unhappily.<br>"I know- I'm sorry. I was taking care of my sister, sir." Conintor said, bowing in his chair respectfully.  
>The man's eyebrows rose in sympathy and he let out a soft sigh. "I will let it go this last time, boy. We will get started on our studies for today." The magi brought up a large leather bound book as Conintor sat back with a sigh in the chair. This was going to be a long lesson.<p>

Conintor walked down the hallway later that day, exhausted from his lesson- his master had really wrung him out that day- he didn't think he had a bit of earth magic left in his body. A small group of girls stopped in front of him, blocking his path. He looked down at them in surprise, wondering why they were looking at him with such odd expressions. Girls were so odd.  
>"Go ahead- as him." One of the girls pushed another forward, who looked up at him with wide fearful eyes. He was tall- one of the taller magi in the keep, but far from the tallest. Luckily he was well built as well so he didn't look like a giant beanstalk.<br>The girl stammered uneasily before shoving a note at his chest. Conintor looked at it in confusion and opened it, reading another love note asking him to go out.  
>He sighed in frustration, and looked down at the girl. She was pretty yeah, but like always he felt no attraction. He folded the note back up, looking down at her with soft green eyes. "I'm sorry." He said, handing the note back.<br>The girl looked up at him, her wide eyes filling with tears before she burst out in sobs, her friends glaring at him as they comforted her and walked away. Conintor frowned and shook his head in dismay. It was always the same thing- a girl asked him out, and sobbed when she got rejected. You'd think after a while they'd take a hint that he wasn't interested after a while.  
>He looked around at the crowd around him, hoping no one had seen the scene that had just happened… He saw only one person looking, another girl with blond hair down to her shoulders and purple eyes. She didn't look angry- just… curious. Hopefully she wasn't thinking of asking him out too.<br>He growled in frustration and walked down the hall again, a frown on his face as he held his books to him with hands so tight his knuckles turned white.

"Arya, I'm home." Conintor said, setting his books down on the table beside the door as he looked around the little cabin. His sister walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands off with a cloth from washing dishes.  
>"Hello, Con. Ooh, look at that frown." She said, imitating a deep frown and then chuckled. "That kind of a day?"<br>Conintor only let out a growl, sitting down with a sigh in a large green chair. What a long day. "Another girl asked me out."  
>"Well that's because you're so cute. Why don't you go out with one of them so they'll leave you alone?" Arya chuckled and walked over to him, handing him a bowl steaming with soup.<br>Conintor looked up at his younger sister and smiled gratefully. She was only 15, training to be a magi herself, not to mention taking care of a household. Since their mother had left and never come back, they had been on their own. Luckily they were surviving through his ability to meld magic into weapons. The ability came in handy when it came to magis looking to go on a long journey.  
>"You have an order, by the way. A man dropped of a sickle earlier. He asked if you could make it so that it never cut flesh- only plants." His sister pointed over to the curved blade, which was lying against the wooden wall across the room.<br>"Should be able to." Conintor nodded, taking a sip of the hot soup- as always, her cooking was fantastic. Good thing, because if he had to cook they'd either starve or eat burnt meat their whole lives.  
>"So, you didn't answer my question." His sister walked over and sat in the chair beside his.<br>"What question?" He said before taking another sip of soup.  
>"Why don't you go out with one of the girls that ask you? You're really handsome you know, you could probably get anyone to date you."<br>Conintor shrugged. "I never really feel anything for them."  
>"What do you mean 'feel anything'? Nothing, at all?" His sister rose her eyebrows curiously.<br>"No, nothing. It's not that they're ugly, they're quite pretty usually, it's just… " He looked up thoughtfully and sighed in dismay. "I don't know."  
>Arya looked at him in concern for a bit. "That's weird, Con."<br>Conintor looked over at her uneasily. "You think?"  
>"Well yeah- when someone asks me out I always feel at least a little bit attracted to them- and cute boys are… well.. cute, I guess." She tried to explain. "You mean, you've never been attracted to <em>any<em> of the girls that have asked you out?"  
>Conintor looked at her hesitantly and shook his head.<br>Arya sighed. "You're kind of odd, big brother. Well, I'm going to keep cleaning dishes. Bring me the bowl when you're done, please." The girl stood up and walked back into the kitchen.  
>Conintor looked down at his soup nervously, taking another sip as he wondered if something was wrong with him.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Conintor walked back down the hall after another lesson, deciding to pay a visit to the Elk herd outside. He had always loved the creatures- the herd at The Keep was massive- he loved watching them run and socialize.  
>He bumped into someone as he thought about the elk, jostling him back to reality. He looked down in dismay as books and papers fell to the floor, the girl he had bumped into scoffing with disgust.<br>"Sorry- here, I'll help." Conintor leaned down to gather her books, looking up at her to see the girl from the day before. Only… he definitely wasn't a girl.  
>"Oh- you're a guy." Conintor said, and flinched when he realized he had said it out loud. The man looked up at him, a flush on his cheeks as his purple eyes turned angry.<br>"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, picking up his papers quickly.  
>"Ah- nothing! It's just, the other day I thought…" Conintor sighed in frustration, deciding it was better to just shut his stupid mouth now.<br>"Probably because of the purple. Typical." The man muttered, his long blond hair falling over his shoulders.  
>Conintor handed him a purple and blue book, yelling in surprise when two hummingbirds started whizzing around his head. He covered his face as their buzzing wings flapped around him, chitting angrily at him.<br>"Pipper- Twitter- stop it." The blond man said, the two pink male hummingbirds stopping in mid-air, hovering as they looked to the magi. "He didn't mean it."  
>The hummingbirds both twittered in protest and turned back around to Conintor, sticking thin tongues out of their beaks teasingly before zipping away.<br>"You have hummingbirds?" Conintor watched the two males duel for a minute outside the window, zig-zagging downwards out of sight.  
>"Yeah. I got them just the other day." The man said, looking at Conintor with curious purple eyes after picking up the last of his books. "Say… I don't want to be nosy, but, why do you never accept any of those girls' offers? You're good looking enough that dozens must have asked you out."<br>Conintor shrugged. "Not my type, I guess." He said, uneasy about discussing the subject with a stranger.  
>"Hmmm…" The man looked thoughtful for a minute and smiled. "My name's Novilo. I'm an air magi." He put his hand out to shake in greeting.<br>Conintor took the hand with a grateful smile. "Conintor- earth magi."  
>"That element fits you perfectly." Novilo snickered, and broke the hand shake. "It was nice to meet you. Hopefully I'll see you around sometime, huh?"<br>Conintor smiled. "Yeah- see you later." Conintor watched Novilo walk down the hall, his stomach doing a small strange flip. He frowned uneasily, wondering what that meant.

Conintor walked into the cabin, setting his books in their usual spot and sniffed the amazing smell of roast meat swirling through the cabin. He walked into the cabin to see Arya standing over a large pot, a spoon stirring stew with one hand, a book on earth magic in the other.  
>"Multitasking again?" Conintor laughed at the sight, sitting down at a small table beside the stove.<br>"My my, aren't we in a good mood today? Goofing around and everything." Arya chuckled, setting her book down on the counter. She raised the spoon out of the stew and put her hand under it as she brought it over to Conintor. "Try it- but blow on it first, it's really hot."  
>Conintor blew on the stew and ate it off the spoon, humming happily at the taste. "Amazing as always, Arya."<br>She smiled happily and brought the spoon back over to the pot, stirring again. "So, what's got my brother smiling like a love struck jackelope, hmmm?" Arya smiled at him over her shoulders.  
>"I'm not sure." Conintor shrugged.<br>"Well it must be something. Did anything out of the ordinary happen today?" She smiled over to him.  
>"Well I met someone- but other than that, not really."<br>"ooooh, a girl?" Arya squealed happily.  
>"No, it was a guy." Conintor rolled his eyes. "He was nice though- an air magi."<br>Arya glanced over at him curiously. "A new friend?"  
>"Maybe. I only met him for a minute. It was kind of weird though…" Conintor looked over at his sister uneasily. If he were to ask anyone about it, it would have to be her.<br>"What was, Con?" She said idly, stirring the stew.  
>"My stomach did a weird lurch thing when I met him. I think I may be sick or something." He said uneasily, hoping he wasn't coming down with anything.<br>Arya froze, glancing at him with wide eyes. "Your stomach felt funny? Were you warm?"  
>"Yeah, come to think about it. Why- what is it?" He looked up at her reaction, starting to get worried.<br>"Con, bro… I think you might be gay." She said uneasily, stirring the stew to distract herself.  
>"What?" Conintor laughed in disbelief. "Why do you think that?"<br>"Well, you never felt that way about any girls, right?"  
>Conintor shook his head. He had never felt any woman was really sexually appealing. They were pretty yes, nice yes, but not 'hot' as the other guys would talk about.<br>"And you first felt that way when you met that guy today, right?" She offered, putting out a hand suggestively.  
>Conintor's eyes widened in realization. "B-but… I can't…." He said uneasily, starting to panic. Was he? Could he be?<br>"There's nothing wrong with it." His sister added, turning the oven off. "Not to me, anyway- but some others think differently."  
>Conintor stared at the table in front of him, his eyes wide with shock. He had never thought of that possibility- he had always found men far more attractive than women… was that why he was so different from other men in The Keep?<br>"Don't look so panicked. You're fine. Just don't spread it around or anything. No one will think any differently of you." Arya smiled sweetly, pouring a bowl of stew for him. "Here- eat, and you can start enchanting that sickle. I know that usually takes your mind off things."  
>Conintor nodded, still looking uneasy as he started eating his stew.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

"Don't look so nervous. Nothing is going to be any different." Arya laughed at her brother's uneasy expression as they walked through the streets of Synara. He was glancing around him, looking at the crowds as if someone would start yelling at him any moment.  
>"You know how a lot of people think of that kind of thing, Arya. Aren't you afraid something bad will happen?" Conintor looked down at his sister, who started giggling.<br>"Nothing's changed! You're still you, and as far as everyone else knows, nothing ever even happened yesterday. You worry too much." She hit him on the arm playfully with a smile.  
>He nodded and walked up to the doors of The Keep, opening the large wooden door and letting Arya walk in before shutting it behind them.<br>"So, I'll meet you back at home after lessons. Have a good day- and don't worry. I know you still are." Arya smiled teasingly, hitting him gently again before walking down the hall to go to her lesson.  
>"Was that your sister?" A man said behind Conintor, making him jump and turn around quickly. Novilo stood smiling with a hummingbird perched on either shoulder, both of them giving Conintor a little bird-like glare.<br>"Yeah- that was Arya." Conintor nodded, feeling the same fluttering in his stomach as last time when Novilo smiled.  
>"She seems nice. A lot of people like her." Novilo nodded, watching her as she walked over to a group of friends and started chatting.<br>"Yeah- she's pretty popular." He sighed- he was the opposite of her. He had never really had many friends- usually he liked to be on his own, practicing his stone and earth magic.  
>"Well don't look so happy about it." Novilo said sarcastically. "No wonder you're so popular with girls- all you ever do is brood and growl. That's like a magnet to them, you know."<br>Conintor looked up at Novilo in surprise. "It is?"  
>Novilo only laughed, patting Conintor on the back sympathetically. "You don't really know much about girls, do you? Strange creatures they are, fickle and confusing as hell."<br>Conintor nodded with a sigh. He would never be able to tell his man the truth- he wanted to desperately, but he knew he shouldn't.  
>He looked at Novilo in a new way since yesterday- his long blond hair and purple eyes were warm and inviting. He had a strange urge to run a hand through that long hair.<br>"What?" Novilo asked in confusion, noticing his stare.  
>"Nothing." Conintor grumbled. "Just thinking."<br>Pipper and Twitter on either side of Novilo's shoulders looked at each other, one chittering and then the other responding before they both fluttered into the air, looking at Novilo before flying out a window.  
>"Thanks for the support, guys." Novilo muttered before looking back to Conintor. "So, are you studying a particular area in earth magic?"<br>"Stone and rock." Conintor nodded. "Melding them, carving them, moving them."  
>"That sounds hard." Novilo blinked in surprise. He couldn't imagine moving something so heavy.<br>"It can be- but I enjoy it." Conintor nodded. "How about you?"  
>"I'm studying wind currents. It's good for travel and defense." Novilo said, smiling happily. "I found out how to turn myself into wind and travel on it the other day- hard to do, but pretty useful."<br>Conintor's eyes widened in shock- he knew it took a magi with powerful magic to be able to do that- much more magic than he would ever hope of having.  
>"Don't look so shocked- it's possible." Novilo said, his form shimmering before disappearing in a light lavender wind, winding around Conintor again before rematerializing. "See?"<br>"That's… pretty awesome." Conintor said, looking at him in surprise.  
>Novilo smiled happily, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. "Well, I'd better be heading to lessons. I'll talk to you later." He said, waving in farewell before starting to head down the hall, winding through the crowds of people. Conintor saw the two hummingbirds zoom after Novilo to catch up and chuckled. He headed down the hall in the opposite direction to his own lessons, a warm smile on his face.<p>

Conintor walked into the cabin, looking around for Arya but seeing her nowhere in sight- she wasn't in the kitchen, or in the living room… He looked down at a note on the table and sighed in dismay.  
>'going shopping with some friends- there's some bread and cheese on the table for you, or you can go get something in the city if you want. I'll be back this afternoon'<br>Great- so either he had to cook something for himself, or he would have to go get something…  
>Well, time to go to the city then. He walked back out the door, closing it behind him.<p>

As usual, the city was packed with people. Magi and normal humans alike walked around in a riot of red, greens, yellows, blues and purple robes. He looked over at a crowd of magi looking at a stand, curiosity getting the best of him. He wandered over and was able to look over the heads of those in the front- there was a basket of eggs on a stand, the shells lovingly cushioned by fabric within the whicker basket. A woman with a thick fur-lined robe smiled at those around, a small paper telling the price of each egg.  
>He looked down at the white shells of the egg, not really knowing the different creatures very well yet. He thought it was either an ashevore or an elk, but he couldn't be sure which it was.<br>"Hey- you again." Novilo turned around from the front of the crowd with a smile. "Gods you're tall- you can see over everyone, can't you?"  
>Conintor just shrugged, not knowing what else to say. Novilo chuckled and turned around, giving the merchant some gold and taking one of the eggs, making his way through the crowd toward Conintor.<br>"Here." Novilo smiled, holding the egg out.  
>Conintor blinked in surprise down at the egg. "W-what? For me?" He said in shock.<br>"Of course. Here, big guy." Novilo put the heavy egg into his hands.  
>Conintor looked down at the large egg, about the size of his head. Its white shell was shining in the sunlight, and it felt warm within his palms. He didn't know which creature it was, but he was a magi- he was supposed to know these things. So instead he stared at the egg, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration.<br>"Don't you know what it is?" Novilo smiled in amusement.  
>Conintor looked up at him with a frown. "No." He muttered.<br>Novilo smiled, chuckling softly. "It's not a big deal- it's an elk. I think this one is a bell elk."  
>Conintor looked down at the egg happily. He'd always loved elk- but never got the guts to go out and buy one. People usually thought they were somewhat… girly.<br>"Thanks." Conintor looked up at Novilo with a warm smile.  
>Novilo looked up at Pipper as he twittered on his left shoulder, the hummingbird swinging his curled tail back and forth with low chirps, his chest puffed out.<br>"Shut up, Pipper." Novilo blushed a bright pink, almost the color of the hummingbird as it chirped in laughter.  
>Conintor chuckled as Novilo grabbed at the hummingbird, missing as it fluttered into the air and flew out of reach.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Arya and Conintor walked down the halls of the keep, the normally crowded hallways filled with only a few people.  
>"I wonder what's going on up there." Arya said in concern, seeing a crowd of magi gathered around something. Shouts and yells came from some of the group, while others were yelling protests to what was going on.<br>"I don't know- we should go see." Conintor said, having a bad feeling about something. He walked over to the crowd, freezing when he heard a familiar voice yell in pain. He pushed his way through the crowd, unable to see over so many people. When he saw a hummingbird chitter angrily as it flew into the air and dart back down- he knew who was yelling.  
>"Novilo!" Conintor yelled in fear, pushing his way past the rest of the crowd to see two men kicking Novilo while he was on the ground, curled up to protect himself as best he could.<br>Conintor gritted his teeth in anger, something snapping inside of him. He rushed over to Novilo, standing over him with raised hands.  
>"Don't lay a damn finger on him. Why are you doing this?" He shouted.<br>"Oh, and what do you care?" A man with black hair tilted his head curiously, a wicked smile covering his face. "This guy's a pussy. Can you believe he doesn't even like girls? What a freak."  
>Conintor blinked in shock and looked down at Novilo, who was staring up at him through his blond hair in fear.<br>"So you beat him? What the hell does that help? Back off or you'll have to fight me." He said, taking on a dueling stance.  
>The two men faltered for a moment, looking at each other uneasily. Conintor's abilities as a fighter were well known in The Keep. He was one of the best earth magi of this generation…<br>"WHAT IS THIS?" A loud yell came from behind the crowd, making all of them gasp and part. A man with blond hair and a green robe walked forward, a large raiju following him with a low growl to match his master's mood.  
>"T-Thane." The two men said, suddenly looking fearful.<br>"What kind of disgusting behavior is this? You should both be ashamed of yourselves. We as magi learn NOT to harm others with our abilities." Thane said harshly. He looked to Conintor, glancing down at Novilo by his feet. "Take that boy to a healer. I'll explain to your master where you are."  
>"Thank you." Conintor said quickly, leaning down and picking up Novilo in his arms. He ran past Thane, who glanced at him as passed.<br>"I'll take care of these two. Bring him to Vitali. She'll know what to do." Thane said softly before walking forward to confront the two magi.

Conintor ran through the hall, keeping a tight grip on Novilo as he searched for the healers. Damn, if he knew where they were, though! He had never needed to contact the water magi before, and so had never needed to know the way.  
>"Left." Novilo said raspily, pointing in that direction. Conintor stopped and looked down at him for the first time, hissing in pity at the bruises across his face and chest. He started running again, seeing a large ornate fountain ahead, a few magi sitting on the edge around the pool of water while koi splashed around.<br>"I need to find Vitali." Conintor said hurriedly at the surprised magi.  
>"Over there." One of the magi pointed down the hall, looking at Novilo in concern. "Is he okay?"<br>Conintor ignored her question and ran down the way she had pointed, seeing a woman near the end in blue and silver robes.  
>"Are you Vitali?" He said, stopping in front of the short black haired, blue eyed woman.<br>"Yes.. Oh Gods, what happened?" She turned around and looked down at Novilo in shock. "Quickly- bring him in here.Ã¢â‚¬Â She said, running to the small room across the hall where a small bed lay in the center. Conintor lay Novilo down on the bed, looking at him in concern. His arm was twisted the wrong way, his purple robes torn. Novilo was gritting his teeth in pain, his eyes clenched shut as he let out a long hiss of agony. The hummingbirds that had followed after him sat on the bed on either side of him, chirping encouragingly to Novilo.  
>"Stand back, please." Vitali said, using a basin to fill a reservoir of water around the bed. He moved outside of the circle, watching with amazement as Vitali raised her hands, the water streaming up into the air and forming a large circle around Novilo. He glowed a bright red and yelled in pain, a snap and crack sounding from his arm as it mended. His bruises faded and he breathed deeply as the water fell back to the ground around them.<br>"That's all I can do for now. He'll have to rest for a while." Vitali looked at Conintor, who was too busy worrying to hear her.  
>"You can stay here with him while he rests, if you'd like. I'm sure he'll like the company." Vitali said, smiling softly and leaving the room.<br>Conintor looked over at Novilo as he breathed softly, staring at the ceiling.  
>"So… now you know. You probably think I'm a freak too." Novilo looked over at him with sad eyes. "Why did you protect me like that?"<br>Conintor walked over beside the bed, kneeling down beside it. "They were hurting you, and I don't like to see you get hurt." He said, not really knowing what else to say.  
>"They were beating me because I'm gay. It happens sometimes with us. People don't understand." Novilo said bitterly, his purple eyes hardening.<br>"Don't look so angry. They won't mess with you again. I won't let them." Conintor said, looking at the ground uneasily.  
>Novilo turned his head to watch Conintor for a moment. "You won't? Why? Don't you feel the same as them?"<br>Conintor gritted his teeth, wishing he knew how to converse better- but he was afraid he would say the wrong thing. "No, I don't." He said simply, only getting angrier with himself for not being able to properly explain his feelings.  
>Novilo sat up, cringing slightly at his stiff muscles and looked down at Conintor. "Then what do you feel?"<br>Conintor looked up at him, smiling softly at Novilo's wide purple eyes. "The same as you."  
>Novilo stared at him in shock for a moment and chuckled in amusement. "No wonder you turned away all those women. It all makes sense now." He looked down at Conintor's wry grin and smiled. "You're pretty cute when you're nervous, you know that?"<br>Conintor blushed, looking up at him in surprise. "W-what?"  
>"See?" Novilo chuckled. He leaned over the bed so that his face was only inches away from Conintor's, a mischievous grin coming over his face "But then again you're cute all the time. I just like to see you blush."<br>Conintor yelled in embarrassment, trying to get rid of the blush that was now covering most of his face.  
>"So easy." Novilo sighed happily. "So, how about it, Con-Bon?"<br>Conintor looked up at Novilo with wide eyes at the strange nickname. "How about what?"  
>Novilo moved so that he was closer again, smiling warmly. "Do you want to be with me?"<br>Conintor stared at him with wide eyes and a slack jaw, unable to say anything- his mind had gone completely blank.  
>Novilo chuckled in amusement and closed Conintor's jaw with a finger. "I'll take that as a yes." He smiled warmly.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Conintor sat beside Novilo's bed as he slept, watching the man's face as he smiled softly in his slumber. He was still in a bit of a shock from earlier. Novilo had asked him to be his boyfriend…  
>For some reason he felt the strange urge to cheer wildly, but he didn't want to wake Novilo up. He needed the sleep.<br>He looked over at Novilo, noticing how his blond hair fell around his shoulders and splayed around his head like a halo, his soft features making him look fairly feminine. He was amazingly cute- and it drove Conintor crazy. The strange feeling in his stomach acted up again and he looked away to try and repress it. He glanced back at Novilo, who muttered something in his sleep and turned on the bed to face him.  
>Conintor stared at him, wondering what a kiss would feel like… Arya had already kissed a boy, and she had talked about it for days…<br>Novilo turned onto his back again with another murmur and Conintor stood up, leaning over the bed so that his face was only a few inches from Novilo's. He smelled like peppermint and the spring wind. Gods, this guy drove him insane…  
>He leaned down and kissed Novilo softly, leaning back and yelling in surprise when he saw Novilo's eyes open.<br>"Taking advantage of me in my sleep, are we? You're a bad man, Con-Bon." Novilo grinned wickedly. Novilo wrapped his arms around Conintor's shoulders, pulling him down for a deeper kiss. Conintor let out a small squeak of surprise and melted into the kiss, feeling Novilo's hand run through his brown hair.  
>Conintor let out a yell of shock when a hand grabbed his butt, looking down at Novilo with a flustered expression.<br>"What?" Novilo smiled innocently.  
>"Oh my." A female voice said from the door way, Vitali smiling in amusement. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."<br>Conintor realized what this must look like- he was on all fours above Novilo, one of the smaller man's hands in his hair, the other resting firmly on his behind. He scrambled off the bed and sat down in his usual spot, his face red from embarrassment.  
>"I heard what happened in the hallway. I'm sorry that happened to you." Vitali said softly, looking at Novilo with sad eyes.<br>Novilo shrugged. "It's happened before, it'll probably happen again." The man said casually.  
>Conintor gritted his teeth in anger. "You shouldn't be used to something like that- it should <em>never<em> happen."  
>"Well to bad it does, then. I've gotten used to being ridiculed for the fact that I'm gay- it's not like I'm going to change, so I might as well accept it as part of the deal." Novilo said gruffly with a frown. "I don't like it or anything, it's just how things are."<br>Vitali sighed in dismay. "People can be cruel. Especially with something that's difficult to understand. Lean back, I still have to heal the bruises on your legs." She walked over to Novilo, pushing him back against the bed with a light shove to his chest.  
>Novilo looked down in surprise, opening his mouth to protest when she raised his pants legs to look at the large bruises that littered his thighs and shins. He looked over at Conintor instead, seeing a wry smile on the larger man's face from his discomfort.<br>"She's just healing you. Calm down." Conintor rolled his eyes at Novilo's uneasy expression.  
>Vitali smiled as she continued her work. "You two are funny. I'll just be a moment longer."<br>"Um… excuse me…" A man with black hair and red eyes said from the doorway, making Vitali freeze, her eyes wide. Novilo watched as an interesting expression of embarrassed pleasure came across her face, glancing over her shoulder at the man in the doorway.  
>"I'm here for the burn healing lotions for the fire magis." He said, standing in red and golden robes. He looked at her curiously as she held Novilo's bare leg, a hand raised over it.<br>"Of course-" Vitali jumped off the bed, dropping Novilo's leg carelessly. He flinched as it dropped to the bed hard, the bruises not healed yet.  
>"Ah- I'm sorry!" Vitali looked back at Novilo in concern, looking from Novilo to the man in the door in panic.<br>"I can wait- no rush." The stranger shrugged carelessly.  
>Vitali smiled gratefully and walked back over to Novilo to finish her healing.<br>"Who is that?" Novilo whispered to her, pointing over at the magi in the door who was fiddling with a strange metal statue hanging on the wall.  
>"That's Raoul." Vitali blushed as she glanced over to him. "He comes every week to pick up burn lotions."<br>Novilo grinned wryly, glancing to Conintor. "I think she likes him."  
>"Shut up!" Vitali whispered harshly, looking back at Raoul to see if he had heard them, but he was too busy messing with the statue. A piece fell off and he gasped in panic, using a finger to meld it back on and pretending nothing happened.<br>"He seems kind of… dense." Conintor looked over at the man as he walked over to look at something else.  
>"No, he's very smart. Just… let me concentrate." Vitali said, looking panicked as she continued to heal Novilo's legs. She finally finished healing Novilo, standing and quickly hurrying over to a basket filled with small vials of white paste. She picked it up and carried it over to Raoul, handing it to him with a smile.<br>"Thanks. I'll see you next week, then." He said, smiling warmly and walking back out into the hallway.  
>Vitali sighed happily, turning around to see both men grinning at her in amusement.<br>"Stop it." She said, flushing with embarrassment and looking at the ground.  
>"Oh, you're fine." Novilo stood, looking over to Conintor. "I can't leave this alone though- she's absolutely smitten and he's completely oblivious."<br>"I still think he's dense." Conintor rolled his eyes. "It'll take a lot to get him to realize what's happening."  
>"No, no no! Just… let it be. I just like to see his smile every week." Vitali held up her hands defensively.<br>"And you'd be content with doing that for the rest of your life, while he gets a girlfriend and ignores you? I think not." Novilo snorted.  
>"B-but…" Vitali looked at him desperately. "What if he doesn't like me?"<br>"I didn't know if Novilo liked me. Hell, I didn't even know if he liked _guys._" Conintor shrugged.  
>"Aw, you're so cute and naïve, Con-Bon." Novilo smiled sweetly to him, making Conintor blush.<br>"I suppose… it couldn't hurt." Vitali said, twisting her long sleeve of her blue robe uneasily.  
>"Just leave it to Novi. I'll work this out and you'll live happily ever after have lots of stinky, loud kids and grow old together." He grinned.<br>Vitali sighed in dismay. It couldn't be helped now- Novilo looked determined to fix this situation, and she didn't really know what to say to that past part.  
>"I'll make sure he doesn't go overboard." Conintor said reassuringly.<br>Vitali smiled softly, glad she had met these two… maybe things _would_ get better.


	6. Chapter 6

Novilo and Conintor walked down the streets of Synara toward Novilo's house, looking at the crowds of people as they passed by.  
>"I didn't know you lived in town." Conintor said in interest. He was a little happy that Novilo lived so nearby. It would mean they could see each other outside of lessons as well.<br>"Well, it's a cheap place to live. My parents kicked me out when I was younger, so I live on my own." Novilo sighed sadly.  
>Conintor looked at him in surprise. "They kicked you out? Why?"<br>Novilo looked at him and rolled his eyes. "Why do you think?"  
>Conintor stared ahead, feeling a bit sorry for Novilo. It was one thing to lose your parents like he and Arya had. It was another thing entirely to know they're still alive, but they don't want to be near you anymore.<br>"I'm sorry." He said softly, not really knowing what else to say.  
>Novilo looked over at him and smiled softly. "You're a good guy, Con. It's okay- I'd rather not be near them either if they're going to think that way about me."<br>Conintor sighed as he looked at Novilo's unhappy expression. "Well, you have me now. So who cares about them." He said gruffly.  
>Novilo looked up at him and smiled happily, grabbing his arm and hugging it. "You're so cute. Thanks."<br>Conintor smiled happily, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. "No problem, Novi."  
>They stopped in front of a small cabin on the outskirts of town, Novilo looking uneasy as he saw the window was broken and the door jarred open.<br>"Stay here- I'll go look." Conintor said, putting a hand on Novilo's shoulder comfortingly before raising a hand, a stone floating from the dirt road and forming into a long sharp blade. Conintor grabbed the stone blade out of the air and walked into the cabin, looking around cautiously. Everything was upturned or torn. The chair in the corner was broken, a small perch on the table for the hummingbirds thrown against the wall and shattered to pieces. The bed was turned over so that the mattress lay against the wall, feathers littering the floor from a torn pillow.  
>Conintor looked at the scene with horror, turning around and stopping cold when he saw, written in large red paint on the wall 'FAG'.<br>His blood burned with anger, having a feeling he knew exactly who had done this. Those two magi had obviously gotten in trouble from Thane, and now they were taking it out on Novilo personally.  
>"Oh Gods." Novilo squeaked with horror from the doorway, looking around with wide eyes. The hummingbirds flew from his shoulders and landed on either side of the broken perch, looking at it sadly.<br>"Now what will I do? They know where I live." Novilo said, his eyes burning with tears. "They'll never leave me alone." His voice wavered with emotion and he leaned against the wall behind him, his torn purple robe getting smeared with the red paint.  
>Conintor walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him for comfort, his green eyes burning with anger at whoever had done this to Novilo. He would find them, and they would pay.<br>"I can't stay here anymore, Conintor. What will I do? They'll find me and beat me again. I'm so sick of this." Novilo sobbed against Conintor's green robes, holding grips of the cloth as he cried.  
>"You can come live with me for a while. They won't know you're there." Conintor said softly, trying to calm Novilo down. Seeing him upset like this tore his heart apart- Novilo was normally so happy and confident.<br>"But… then if they see me there, you'll get hurt too. And your sister- I can't do that to you." Novilo looked up at him with teary eyes.  
>"Like hell they'll hurt me." Conintor growled. "I'm an earth magi, specializing in offensive battle magic. They can try to hurt me, but I think they'd be surprised at how much of a fight I can give."<br>Novilo chuckled against Conintor's tunic. "Pretty confident in yourself, aren't you?"  
>Conintor smiled softly and tightened his arms in a squeeze around Novilo before moving away slightly. He handed Novilo the stone blade in his hand, setting the cold weapon carefully into his palm.<br>"Wherever there's earth and stone, there's a weapon. Whenever I'm standing on solid ground, I can fight. Don't worry about me, I can hold my own. I'm more worried about you right now."  
>Novilo nodded, looking down at the stone blade in his hand. "It's kind of funny how different our magic is, isn't it?" he said softly, his voice raspy from crying.<br>Conintor smiled and nodded, holding a hand over the stone. Novilo watched with wide eyes as it melded into a small bird, still made of the same stone. Novilo looked at the bird, turning it in front of him in wonder.  
>"That's amazing… can you do that with any stone?"<br>"And metal." Conintor nodded.  
>Novilo smiled and held the bird gently. "Alright. If you don't think you or Arya will get hurt, I'll stay with you until I can find a new place."<br>"Good. Pack what things you need and we'll head home." Conintor said, watching as Novilo silently got together what few things of his that weren't broken. He hoisted them over his shoulder in a purple blanket tied in a knot at the top.  
>"Ready." He said softly, looking back at his small cabin sadly.<br>"Come on, Novi. Let's go home." Conintor said, putting a hand on Novilo's shoulder and guided him gently out of the cabin.

Conintor opened the door to his cabin, letting Novilo walk in first before closing the door behind them gently. Novilo looked around uneasily, not really knowing what to make of this situation.  
>"Don't worry so much. Arya will like you. You're welcome here." Conintor set his things down on the table by the door, taking Novilo's things and setting them down in the plush green chair. He guided Novilo into the kitchen, whose eyes widened at the smell coming from the room.<br>"Hey Arya- I have a question real quick." Conintor walked into the kitchen, Novilo coming in behind him.  
>"What's- Oh! Who's this?" Arya turned from the stove, setting her spoon down in the pot of soup, wiping her hands on the apron tied around her waist.<br>"I'm Novilo." He said, shaking her hand politely. "I met Conintor the other day."  
>"Ooooh. YOU'RE the guy Con met." Arya smiled wryly, glancing to Conintor knowingly.<br>Conintor blushed and cleared his throat uneasily. "Is it okay if he stays with us for a while? He's having some… issues."  
>Arya looked to Novilo in concern. "You okay?"<br>Novilo nodded, knowing that if he talked he would probably start crying again. Instead he just stayed silent.  
>"Sure, I don't see why not. I'm glad I made a bit more soup than usual, we can all sit down and have a nice dinner together. Oh- are you two… you know…" Arya smiled mischievously.<br>Novilo looked up to Conintor's embarrassed blush. "Yeah."  
>Arya squealed happily, clapping her hands together. "I'm so happy for you Con! Novilo, you can stay here as long as you'd like. You're more than welcome here as long as you don't mind a bit o f a mess." She looked around the room with a sigh. Things were starting to get dusty again- but she had so much to do.<br>"I can help with that if you'd like. It's the least I can do." Novilo shrugged.  
>Arya beamed a happy smile and nodded. "That'd be wonderful! Maybe I can even read a book or something…" She said thoughtfully, imagining all the things she could do if she had spare time.<br>"Well then it's decided- Novilo can stay here until… whenever he wants to leave." Conintor smiled softly.  
>Novilo turned and hugged Conintor tightly, biting his lip to keep from crying again. "Thanks again, Con-Bon."<br>Conintor smiled warmly down at him and patted his back comfortingly.  
>Arya squealed again at the scene, giggling excitedly. "Con-Bon, huh? That's adorable!"<br>Conintor looked over at his sister and rolled his eyes with a sigh. Things were finally starting to turn out better...


	7. Chapter 7

Conintor walked into The Keep with Novilo beside him, looking around the halls for the men who been beating Novilo the day before. He spotted a group of men laughing in the corner of a turn in the hallway, the group looking up as he and Novilo approached.  
>"Con, don't do this." Novilo said, grabbing Conintor's arm as he started to move forward with a determined expression.<br>"They hurt you." Conintor looked down at Novilo, who paused. He looked _so_ determined to harm these men.  
>"But you'll get in trouble with the elders- I don't want you to get kicked out." Novilo insisted, trying to pull Conintor away from the other men.<br>"Yeah, run away with your little girly man." One of the men from the group mocked, making Conintor tense and turn around.  
>"Oh Gods." Novilo squeaked in terror as Conintor reached into a pouch at his side.<br>"Shut up, Carlos." Another man said, looking at Conintor with wide fearful eyes.  
>"No- look at him- he must be gay too hanging around that guy. Maybe we should beat him up next. Or maybe we'll go for his sister." Carlos sneered, his black hair falling over his eyes as he laughed.<br>Conintor growled in anger and held up three pebbles for him to see. "I'm only using a few this time. This is a warning. If I see you _ever_ touching Novilo or my sister I will have no mercy on you."  
>"Oh, I'm so scared." Carlos mocked before starting to laugh again, too busy laughing to notice the other men around him step away from him warily as Conintor raised his hand.<br>Novilo watched with wide eyes as Conintor flicked the stones out of his hands, unable to see them move through the air at amazing speed toward the other man. Carlos' laughter stopped suddenly, turning into screams of pain as he held three small holes in his shoulder. He stared at the man for a minute as the other group members wondered what to do- they didn't want to get hurt either.  
>Conintor snorted in disgust at the man and turned around, starting to walk down the hallway.<br>Novilo ran after him, looking up at him silently for a minute. "You must be freaking amazing at fighting, huh?" He grinned.  
>"Probably. I've never actually gotten into a fight before. Only practice." Conintor shrugged, looking over his shoulder to see the other men abandoning Carlos.<br>"He's going to hate you even more now, you know." Novilo said, looking back at the man as well.  
>"Like I care. I'll just shoot rocks at him again if he tries to come near any of us." Con shrugged.<br>Novilo looked up at him uneasily, not sure if Conintor was aware of some men's capacity for revenge. He waved to Conintor as they separated in the hall, Novilo turning toward the wind magi and Conintor turning to his usual study.

"My goodness Conintor, you've made such a big fuss at The Keep today." Arya chuckled as she cooked a meal on the stove.  
>Novilo grinned at Conintor from across the table. "His face was great though- went from laughing to shock immediately." He said, not able to help but be glad to see those who had hurt him be in pain.<br>"I'm not proud of it, you know." Conintor said defensively. "I don't like hurting others with my magic. It feels wrong."  
>"I'd be worried if you thought otherwise, Con. I'm just glad you gave that man what he deserved." Arya smiled over to him and handed them both a plate of gravy-soaked meat.<br>Conintor looked down at it with wide eyes before looking back over to Arya as she made a dish of her own. "What's the special occasion? Did I miss something again?"  
>"I thought that Novilo should have a good 'moving in' celebration." Arya smiled to Novilo, who blushed with happiness.<br>"Oh you didn't need to do that for me- meat is expensive." Novilo looked down at the meat, taking a bite of it with a hum of happiness. "Oh but it's so good."  
>"I'm glad you like it." Arya chuckled before sitting down in the other chair. "Besides, that last weapon you enchanted gave us more than enough gold to handle ourselves for quite a while."<br>"True." Conintor shrugged, taking a bite out of his own meat eagerly.  
>"Your sister is an amazing cook." Novilo said, chewing another bite.<br>"One of us has to be." Conintor muttered and grinned at Novilo's curious look.  
>"Conintor always turns everything." Arya said with a wrinkled nose. "I learned to cook when I was pretty young because I was tired of eating char."<br>Novilo laughed, glancing to Conintor's embarrassed flush "I'll remember that later on- I'm pretty good with cooking too."  
>Conintor looked up at the other two as they laughed, joining in with a laugh as well.<p>

"You should be good, now." The healer said, looking down at Carlos as he sat up, a dark glare on his face.  
>"Do you know the guy who did this?" He looked to the girl with black hair, who shook her head quickly with wide eyes.<br>Carlos let out a growl of frustration, putting his shirt back on as he stood up. He would find out who had given him these scars- and he would pay dearly for making his friends abandon him.


	8. Chapter 8

Carlos walked into the stone building, looking around uneasily at the red banners hanging from the walls. He tucked his red and golden robes closer to his sides as a man approached him, a smile on his pale face.  
>"What can I do for you, fire magi?" The man said, smiling happily.<br>Carlos hesitated for a minute before looking around with nervous eyes. "I'm looking for something to help me with… retaliation."  
>"Oh? What sort of retaliation?" The man asked, his black eyes glinting in amusement as he tilted his head. A woman came up to them, standing next to the dark man Carlos was talking to.<br>"A man humiliated me. I need to do something about it. I was hoping you people would have… an idea of some sort."  
>"Oh, I think we can arrange that easily." The man smiled again, glancing down to the woman beside him, who nodded.<br>"What's your name then?" Carlos looked up at him, not liking how the man smiled so much.  
>"Oh- Isildre." He smiled, holding out a hand to shake with Carlos.<p>

Conintor smiled, looking down at the book in his hands- his master had given it to him as a celebration from finishing his studies today. He was finally done- after spending 8 years of intensive studying with different masters, he had finally learned how to master earth magic. He looked up as the people around him congratulated him as he walked down the wall, a bright smile on his face.  
>"Well don't you look like a ray of sunshine?" Novilo said from behind him with a bright smile. Conintor turned around and his smile widened.<br>"I've never seen you smile that huge before- careful or you'll crack that hardened shell you're always in." Novilo chuckled. "How about we go out somewhere special? I still have half a year to study- so we'll just celebrate yours for now."  
>"Sounds good." Conintor nodded, looking up as someone ran down the hall. He noticed with surprise that it was the woman who had healed Novilo- Vitali.<br>"Conintor!" She huffed as she stopped in front of him, catching her breath for a minute.  
>"What's wrong?" Conintor asked, helping Vitali up as she doubled over to catch her breath.<br>"Your sister- she's with the healers- we're doing all we can, but-" Vitali stopped uneasily as Conintor's face fell, his eyes widening. He let go of her and the book, sprinting down the hall toward the water magi's wing.  
>Novilo watched him run, helping Vitali up and picking up the book, grabbing her wrist and dragging her after him as they ran to catch up with Conintor.<p>

Conintor pushed the door of the healing room open, looking at the magi standing around a table in the middle of the room where a woman lay. He ran over to the table to see Arya unconscious, her skin a terrifying grayish tone.  
>"Arya! Oh Gods, what happened?" He looked down at her, moving her hair out of her face and feeling her breath stuttering.<br>"Conintor- stop." Vitali ran in after him, trying to pull him back from the table as the healers looked at each other uneasily. They couldn't continue with Conintor so close to her.  
>"No- she's dying- I have to be with her." Conintor protested, pushing Vitali away.<br>"If you stay with her, she WILL die! Just trust me for now- let them do what they can. We'll try and save her, but there's only so much that can be done in this case." Vitali said urgently.  
>Conintor hesitated and moved away from Arya, the healers resuming their chanting as soon as he had let go of Arya. Vitali pulled him back to the open door, where Novilo waited uneasily.<br>"What happened? How is she suddenly so sick?" Conintor looked over to Arya, his voice wavering with emotion.  
>"She was bitten by a small Raza cobra. I think someone put it in her bag sometime in the day so it would bite her when she reached in to get her books. Their poison is still very potent even has hatchlings." She said softly, trying not to interrupt the healer's chanting.<br>Novilo gasped in shock as Conintor froze, his eyes widening. "You think someone did this?"  
>"I do. Did you make anyone angry recently?" Vitali said, glancing over at a burlap sack which wriggled a small hiss coming from it.<br>Conintor groaned in agony, putting a shaking hand up to his face in horror. "Yes- a fire magi."  
>Vitali nodded grimly. "I would bet it was him, then. I'll go talk to Thane about this. You two stay here. Novilo, please try not to let Conintor interrupt the healers."<br>Novilo nodded, watching Vitali as she left the room, closing the large doors behind her. He looked over to Conintor as the man shuddered, trying to contain his emotions.  
>"Hey-" Novilo said softly, walking over to Conintor and hugging him tightly. "I'm sorry this happened. It's all my fault- if I hadn't let them do that to me-"<br>"No." Conintor said, looking down at Novilo with red eyes, his nose stuffy. "It's not your fault. It's his. That damn fire magi."  
>Novilo nodded, not really knowing what to say in this situation. He looked up as one of the healers stopped chanting, a large thump heard from the table followed by a series of them. Conintor looked over as Arya started convulsing on the table, the healers rushing forward to hold her so she wouldn't hurt herself. Novilo tightened his hold on Conintor to keep him in place as he tried to pull them toward the table to see Arya, his eyes wide in terror. Arya suddenly stilled, letting out a low moan before going silent. The healers looked down at her in shock and backed away uneasily. One of them moved forward again, holding a hand over her for a minute before shaking his head sadly.<br>The healers moved back from the table, all of them hanging their heads as they looked at Arya. Novilo let Conintor go as he struggled in his grip, running over to the table Arya was lying on. He slowed to a slow walk as he came closer to her, looking down at her still body with wide eyes. He kneeled next to her and touched her cold cheek with a shaky hand, seeing her peaceful face.  
>He shuddered and wept over her body, his chest heaving with his sobs as he gripped handfuls of her green robes.<br>Novilo put a hand over his mouth, his own eyes burning with tears at the sight of such a strong man breaking down to tears.


	9. Chapter 9

Novilo leaned against the wall outside the door of the healing room, sighing in anger when he thought of what Arya had to have gone through. He had learned in his studies of creatures that raza cobra venom was a terribly painful way to die. He looked through the crack in the large wooden doors to see Conintor silently watching Arya. He had been in there for several hours now. The healers had left shortly after Arya had died to let Conintor mourn, and Novilo had given him some privacy with his sister as well.  
>The earth magi stood, looking down at his sister for a minute before turning around. A small hiss sounded in the room, making Conintor flinch and look over his shoulder at the sack still lying on the stone floor. He stared at the sack in anger, his green eyes burning with rage before starting to walk over to it. Novilo swore harshly and ran into the room as Conintor stood over the bag.<br>He raised one of his large boots, stomping on the bag and killing the hatchling squirming within, green blood squirting onto his boot and the stone floor beneath as the hatchling let out one final hiss of pain.  
>Novilo ran over and held him back as he raised his foot to stomp on the dead creature again, his face contorted with rage.<br>"Let go! I'll kill it- it killed Arya!" Conintor screamed, his voice cracking. Novilo held him tightly, refusing to let go as he struggled.  
>"It's already dead, Con- just stop!" Novilo yelled, holding his arms around Conintor's shoulders to keep him back from the bag. "It didn't kill her- Carlos did. Just calm down!"<br>Conintor froze, his breath shuddering as he sagged against Novilo. "What did I do? I killed a hatchling." He said, falling to his knees when Novilo wasn't able to hold him up any longer.  
>"You were angry. Just calm down. I'm sorry this happened, I know how much she meant to you." Novilo said soothingly, wrapping his arms around the larger man as he shuddered. Conintor buried his face in Novilo's purple and silver robes, letting out a soft sob.<br>"What will I do? How can I go home alone?" He whispered.  
>"You don't have to go home alone, remember? I'm still here for you." Novilo said, squeezing him reassuringly. "You'll never be alone."<br>Conintor looked down at Novilo, staring into those wide purple eyes before nodding, leaning his forehead against the smaller man's shoulder as he tried to calm himself. "Thank you." He whispered.  
>"No problem, Con. Let's head home. To hell with what anyone thinks." Novilo said, leading him out of the room. He looked over his shoulder at Arya, then to the bloody satchel on the door before closing the door behind him.<p>

Conintor walked through the halls on his way to Thane's office, trying to ignore the stares people were giving him as he passed. Novilo was at his studies, and he had gotten a letter from the foot of a Talvar that had summoned him to Thane's study…  
>He tried not to look too nervous as he approached the Archemage's door, looking at the golden inlays in the sturdy wood with anxiety. He was a gay man… he wasn't exactly what you'd call 'accepted' by most of the magi world, and he didn't know if it showed. Would Thane notice, and judge him somehow?<br>"Please come in, Conintor." A low voice said from inside. Conintor let out a deep sigh to calm himself and opened the door to see Thane closing a book as he looked up with a slight frown.  
>"Please close the door behind you- we have much to discuss." Thane said, setting the book down on his desk before taking a seat in his large ornate chair.<br>Conintor closed the door behind him before taking a seat in the chair set across the desk, moving his green and gold robes so that they didn't crumble beneath him while he sat.  
>"First, I am sorry for your loss, Conintor. I had no idea that boy would be so… heartless." Thane said, looking troubled as he crossed his hands in front of his face, leaning his forehead against his hands. He let out a weary sigh and looked back up at Conintor. "I assume all has taken care of with Arya?" He said softly.<br>"Yes, she's been buried next to my mother and father." Conintor said, trying not to let his emotions well up in front of someone so important. He looked away, trying to calm himself with small deep breaths.  
>"Forgive me, I know this is painful for you to talk about. We will discuss something else, then. Have you given thought to a proper punishment for Carlos?" The archemage looked up at Conintor, his ice blue eyes showing wisdom as he watched for the magi's reaction.<br>Conintor froze, watching Thane for a moment before gritting his teeth in anger. "So, he's being kept in custody, then?"  
>"Oh yes- he has even confessed to what he's done. He did not seem too sorry for what his actions caused though, which is why I am leaving it up to you to decide what happens. Do you wish him dead?"<br>Conintor looked at the ground, his hands gripping the arms of his chair so that the wood bit into his palms. "I'll admit to wishing that, sir." He muttered.  
>"Any human would in this circumstance, Conintor. However, I believe that your studies have helped you understand the world better than that. Therefore, I suggest to you an alternative. We have not used this punishment in many years, and it is reserved for only the darkest of deeds- such as murder."<br>Conintor looked up at Thane in surprise. "What is it?"  
>"I call it 'Desolation'. It was actually invented by dark sorcerers to hold magi against their will. It is a stone that when touched against a magi's skin, steals their magic. Permanently." Thane watched Conintor's reaction with interest.<br>Conintor stared forward in shock. Carlos would lose all of his beloved fire magic? He would be kept in the tower of the Keep as prisoner, unable to escape or have his magic for consolation.  
>"Do you wish this to be Carlos' punishment? I leave it to you, because you are the victim in his crime."<br>Conintor watched Thane, knowing there was more behind this than the older man was letting on. Thane was known for letting magi make a decision, and determining whether or not that magi was at risk of turning dark by the actions of others. Was Conintor at risk for turning into a dark magi?  
>He couldn't help but let out a soft smile. No, Novilo would never allow that to happen.<br>"Let him live, but I request you take his magic away. Take something dear from him, as he took my dear sister from me." He said at last, looking up at the Archemage to see a small smile on Thane's face.  
>"Very well, Conintor. I will carry out the punishment you have chosen. Thank you for your time, and I hope you find peace in your life."<br>Conintor rose, giving a small bow to the Archemage before exiting the room. He glanced back at Thane one last time as he closed the door, noticing a small golden bird flying into the window, landing on Thane's shoulder with shimmering feathers.

Novilo waited nervously outside the hall that led to Thane's study, watching the students as they bustled about their classes and studies. He looked up as a fire magi stood in the doorway, looking around nervously at the others as he talked to a younger girl, dressed in a ragged dress.  
>"Serena, go home- you'll get in trouble if you're here!" He said, looking at Novilo for a moment with wide red eyes before looking back to the girl.<br>"I had to come here." The girl whispered, sounding like she was crying. "I… I think I may be in trouble." She said after a sob.  
>"What happened?" the fire magi asked her, holding her shoulders reassuringly as he looked her over.<br>"I… I think I might be…" The girl held a hand over her stomach, her tear-filled eyes wide.  
>The magi stared at her in shock for a moment before looking down at her stomach. "Wait- with…?"<br>The girl nodded, letting out another sob of terror. "But… that's not the reason I came." She whispered. She took her arm out from the cloak that was around her shoulders, Novilo unable to help but hiss in pity at the large bruise across the girl's arm.  
>"Oh Serena…" The man said sadly, holding her arm gently to inspect it. "We'll go to a healer to get that fixed. I hate how he treats you."<br>"I know, I'm sorry Raoul. It's just… he's only like that sometimes. Other times he's the nicest guy in the world." She whispered.  
>"Come on, sis. We'll get you healed and find out if you… are…" He glanced at her uneasily, not really knowing how to finish. Raoul took Serena by the wrist of her good arm, leading her down the hall toward Novilo.<br>"Hey-" Novilo said when they passed. Raoul stopped in front of him and looked over at the air magi in interest. Novilo looked with interest at the two when he saw the similarity between them. They were definitely related. "Ask for Vitali- she'll be able to be discrete about things." Novilo said with a friendly smile.  
>Raoul smiled in relief and nodded.<br>"Thank you." The woman whispered with a blush before following Raoul down the hall again.  
>Novilo watched them turn into the hall of the water magi, smiling smugly. Vitali had mentioned she liked Raoul… hopefully something would come from it.<br>Someone deserved a bit of happiness today.


	10. Chapter 10

Conintor sat at the table at his house, looking over at the stove and looking down at his hands sadly. Arya would never be there cooking, again. He would never smell the wonderful smells that she made when he came home, or her happy smile to welcome him back.  
>He closed his eyes as they welled with tears again and set his face in his hands to try and calm himself down.<br>"Hey, big guy." Novilo said softly from behind him, making Conintor jump in surprise. Thin arms wrapped around his shoulders as Novilo leaned against his back, his blond hair falling against Conintor's cheek, making him blush.  
>"Hey, Novi." He said softly, sighing in relief that he had finally come home from his studies for the day. "How did your day go?" Conintor asked, leaning into Novi's arms.<br>"Good. I was worried about you, though. Why don't you start working on something at home while I finish my studies? It'll keep your mind off of things." Novilo suggested, setting his mouth against Conintor's messy brown hair. "We have to do something about your hair, too."  
>"What's wrong with it?" Conintor blushed, running his fingers through his hair nervously.<br>"Nothing, I just like messing with hair." Novilo chuckled at Conintor's nervousness.  
>"I'm not growing it out like yours, if that's what you mean." Conintor eyed Novilo warily as the smaller man chuckled in amusement.<br>"You'd look terrible with long hair." Novilo grinned. "Besides." Novilo leaned closer to Conintor, his breath against his cheek. "I know something else that can take your mind off of things for a while."  
>"What?" Conintor blushed crimson in embarrassment as he looked at Novilo.<br>Novilo snickered and kissed Conintor on the cheek before moving away. "But first, I'll cook dinner."  
>Conintor huffed in annoyance, feeling flustered as Novilo walked across the room with a smug grin.<br>Conintor smiled as he watched him grab the pot out of the cupboard, whistling a tune as he tied a pink frilly apron around his waist before starting to get ingredients ready. What a goof.

Conintor laid in bed, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Don't you think people will get suspicious if you stay here for the night?" he looked over at Novilo as he closed the green curtains that covered the windows.  
>"So?" Novilo looked over his shoulder at Conintor. "Why are you so worried?"<br>"I'm worried they'll try and hurt you again." Conintor growled angrily. "I hate being the cause of pain. Especially for the people I-" He stopped, a blush coming over his cheeks.  
>"You what?" Novilo asked smugly.<br>"Nothin'" Conintor said, looking away in embarrassment. A quick breeze filled the room, Conintor looking up in shock as Novilo was suddenly on his hands and knees above him.  
>"Wha- how!" Conintor said in panic, looking up at Novilo with wide eyes.<br>"Silly man, did you forget I'm an air magi?" Novilo grinned in amusement. "Now." He grabbed Conintor's hands, holding them down on either side of his head against the mattress. "What were you saying?"  
>Conintor looked up at Novilo in panic- what was he doing? Why was he holding his wrists down?<br>"L-let me go, stupid." Conintor grunted as he struggled under Novilo's grip.  
>"Nope, not until you finish what you were saying." Novilo grinned wickedly, a glint in his purple eyes.<br>Conintor glared up at him before looking away with a flush. "I love you." He muttered.  
>"What was that? I couldn't hear you, Con-Bon." Novilo's grin widened smugly.<br>"I love you. I don't want anyone else to touch you." Conintor looked up at Novilo with intense green eyes, making Novilo flush as well.  
>"See, now that wasn't too hard, was it?" Novilo leaned down, kissing Conintor softly.<br>"Dummy." Conintor grumbled, but smiled as well.

Novilo looked up in surprise as Vitali ran toward him down the hallway of The Keep, a wide smile on her face. She squealed happily and hugged him in the hallway, making people glance at them curiously.  
>"Ack, what? What happened?" Novilo said in panic, trying to pry the woman off him.<br>"He talked to me! He actually talked to me, and I got to meet his sister!" She said happily against his purple robes before stepping back with a wide smile.  
>Novilo laughed in amusement that she was so excited over such a small thing. "Well, that's good. Was he as nice as you thought he was?"<br>"Oh, so much better. He's trying to help his sister, but she doesn't seem to see what he's trying to say. Poor girl had such a nasty bruise." She pouted unhappily.  
>"That's too bad. I hope she'll eventually see his view." Novilo said sadly, remembering the bruise on her arm- apparently it had been given to her by the same man that had made her pregnant.<br>"So, are you two hooking up, then?" The air magi grinned in amusement as she blushed.  
>"No no, not yet! We just met." She looked away in embarrassment. "Besides… I don't think my family would like him much."<br>"Oh?" Novilo tilted his head curiously. "How so?"  
>"Well, you see… he was born from human parents- neither of them nor his sister have any magic." She looked down uneasily. "And… my family…"<br>"You're a pureblood, hmm?" Novilo looked at her curiously. "And you're letting that stop you from your happiness?"  
>Vitali looked up at Novilo with wide blue eyes. "But they're my family… I don't know what I'd do without them."<br>"If they really love you, they would accept whatever person you love. Don't worry about them, worry about yourself. Did I let everyone else's opinion stop me from being with Con?" Novilo said reassuringly.  
>Vitali shook her head and looked up at him hopefully. "Oh, thank you Novilo. How is Conintor doing, by the way?" She asked, her smile fading.<br>"He's doing okay. He still is pretty depressed, but I think he tries to hide it around me." He sighed in frustration. "He's working on something though, and I haven't seen him use his magic other than attacking before, so I'm pretty excited to see what he can do."  
>"He's a very powerful earth magi, though he doesn't like using his magic for some reason." Vitali said, tilting her head as she wondered why.<br>"I don't think he likes to be too flashy. He keeps to himself, usually." Novilo said, looking in the direction of the house. "I should get going, though. I hope you and Raoul can get closer- tell me how it goes." He gave her a small two-fingered wave as wind surrounded him, disappearing with the breeze that flew out the window of the Keep.  
>Vitali blinked in surprise and rushed over to the window to see a purple wind fly through the air toward the city, twisting and turning with the wind.<p> 


	11. Chapter 11

Novilo landed outside the door, materializing with a quick breeze and walking inside the house.  
>"Con, I'm home!" Novilo shouted through the house, but looked into the living room to see the larger man lounging on the couch.<br>"Ah, good. I was waiting until you got home to start- I wanted to show you how I do this." Conintor said, pointing to the slabs of metal on the floor in front of him.  
>"Uh… Con, these are just bricks. What are you going to do with them?" Novilo looked up at him in confusion.<br>"What weapon do you want me to make?" Conintor asked, acting as if he had not heard him.  
>"I don't know, does it matter?" Novilo looked down at the metal, still confused. "A knife- I've been looking for a good knife for a while, I guess."<br>Conintor raised an eyebrow in interest. "You fight with a knife?"  
>Novilo grinned. "Used to- it got stolen a while back, and I haven't had enough gold to get another."<br>Conintor watched him for a moment in interest before nodding and sitting up. He scooted himself to the floor, sitting cross-legged in front of the tools and raw materials.  
>"Go ahead and sit down. What kind of knife would you want?" He said, sounding eager.<br>"Something curved- jagged." Novilo said, tilting his head so that his blond hair fell over his shoulder.  
>Conintor nodded and picked up the metal, looking it over thoughtfully before grabbing a bar of silver and blackened steel as well.<br>Novilo watched with wide eyes as Conintor held his hand over the metals, the bars seemingly to mold themselves to his will, his green magic surrounding the forming metal as it shifted and formed, elongating and flattening into a long curved knife. He finished with a sigh of satisfaction, holding the knife out to Novilo.  
>Novilo took the blade with wide eyes, feeling the balance of the short curved blade in his palm and looking at the black hilt in interest. It was about as long as his forearm- and curved slightly along the blade so that it arced gracefully, the edge of the blade nearest the hilt jagged with spikes. Altogether it looked like a wickedly practical weapon.<br>"You can make weapons like this from just metal?" Novilo stared at Conintor in shock.  
>"Ah, wait a minute-" Conintor grabbed the blade back, holding it by the hilt and concentrating hard. The blade vibrated with magic for a moment before he let out a tired sigh and handed it back to Novilo.<br>"What did you do?" Novilo held the blade, the weapon still warm from Conintor's magic.  
>"I made it so that I'll know whenever you're fighting with that weapon, and if you're in trouble you can call me." Conintor said, smiling sheepishly to Novilo. "So I can come help you."<br>Novilo flushed happily at Conintor. "You're such a sweetie, you know that?"  
>Conintor smiled, looking away with a blush. "Shut up." He said in embarrassment.<p>

Vitali looked up at Raoul in shock as the man ran up to her, a mixture of embarrassment and frustration on his tanned face.  
>"Vitali, can you come with me for a minute?" He muttered, looking at the other water magi who stared at him curiously.<br>"Sure." Vitali said, trying to hide the sudden fluttering that filled her stomach. Raoul glanced down at her and nodded curtly, grabbing her by the wrist and guiding her through the crowds in the hallway toward one of the doorways that led outside the keep. He let go of her wrist once they were outside, Raoul walking over to a woman who leaned against the wall and breathing heavily. It was obvious that she was quite pregnant at this point- her belly was round with child.  
>"What's wrong with her?" Vitali noticed the woman's sweat-soaked hair, her bangs clinging to her cheeks.<br>"I'm not sure, but I don't think her home is a good place for her to stay while she's sick." He grumbled in frustration, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "But she won't listen to me."  
>"I can't stay here for too long." Serena said, her breathing labored. "He'll get angry, and that would just make things worse."<br>Vitali walked forward, holding her pale hand against Serena's burning forehead. "You're definitely in no condition to worry about anyone other than yourself. Especially when you have a child. Come on, we need to bring you to a place to heal you that's more… discrete." Vitali looked back at the keep thoughtfully. "I think I might know someone who can help us."

Novilo closed the door to his study, jumping in surprise when he turned around to see Vitali staring at him intently.  
>"Jeebus woman, don't scare me like that!" He said, gripping his chest while his heart thumped wildly in shock.<br>"Sorry, I was wondering if you and Conintor could do… well, not me, but… a favor…" She looked at the ground nervously.  
>"Spit it out- it can't be that bad." Novilo rolled his eyes.<br>"Raoul's sister is really sick- and I'm worried about her child… but she shouldn't go back home, and she's not allowed here. Can she-"  
>"Come to my house?" Novilo finished with a smile. "I don't see why not."<br>Vitali smiled happily, clapping her hands in front of her with glee. "Thank you! Come on, we should go as quickly as possible- I need to start healing her as soon as I can."  
>She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall until they were outside.<br>Raoul looked up at him in surprise, his red eyes wide. "What's he going to be able to do?" he looked at Vitali in confusion.  
>"She can stay at my house until she's better. It's probably the safest place for her, too." Novilo grinned wryly, thinking of Conintor back home. "In case whoever he is comes knocking around for her."<br>Serena looked up at him in terror. "But… I can't do that! You aren't married, and I can't live at a house with a single man…"  
>Novilo couldn't help but snicker in amusement. "If you're afraid of losing your womanly innocence, I can assure you that will be no problem. No offense, though." He looked at her, his purple eyes filled with laughter.<br>Raoul furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "Her living with a single man would only make Nostro angrier."  
>Serena shuddered visible at the mention of the name, rubbing her arm uneasily. "It would… I don't want to make him angrier than he already is lately."<br>"You will be fine." Novilo said slowly and dramatically. "Come on, we'll get going. You're starting to turn pale. He said, noticing the white blanch across Serena's mocha colored skin.  
>Raoul put an arm around Serena's shoulder for support as they walked down the street, trying to stick to the shadows to stay hidden.<p>

"Hey Con, I hope you're decent- we have company!" Novilo shouted through the house as he closed the door behind them.  
>"Conintor is here?" Raoul said in surprise, looking around the house but seeing no sign of him.<br>"Oi Novi, you should warn me before you bring someone over- this place is a mess!" Conintor protested from the other room, metal clanging as he attempted to clean.  
>"Set her on the couch for now. I'll get the guest bed ready for her to stay in." Novilo said to Raoul, pointing to the couch in the living room. Conintor walked into the room, holding armfuls of metal and half-formed weapons.<br>"What's with all these people? What's going on?" Conintor looked at Serena in interest as Raoul set her gently down on the couch, insisting she lay down.  
>"She's sick, and her home… isn't the best place for her. I was hoping you'd be alright if she stayed here until she feels better." Novilo looked up at Conintor uneasily as the larger man frowned.<br>"We'll need to get more food." He muttered, thinking of the barren cupboards. They didn't have much gold left…  
>"I can take care of that." Vitali said, looking up at Conintor with pleading blue eyes. "Please let her stay."<br>"Of course she can stay, I was just thinking of how much a pregnant woman eats. I've… never had experience with a pregnant woman." Conintor looked down at Serena, looking lost.  
>Novilo snickered. "I'll be here after studies, and I'm sure Raoul will want to visit her as well. Vitali will of course be healing her every day."<br>"I don't want to be so much trouble." Serena whispered, her voice wavering with emotion. "Please… don't make such a fuss over me."  
>Raoul sighed in frustration and took his sister's hand. "You're fine, Serena. We're concerned for you, and your baby. It's due soon, isn't it?"<br>Conintor's eyes widened in panic. "I don't know how to handle that- I've never-"  
>"Relax." Vitali laughed. "It's not due for another week yet. Hopefully by then she'll be all better."<br>Conintor sighed in relief, looking down at the woman as she gasped for breath. "You can stay here as long as you need to- and don't worry about anything, Novi and I can take care of that."  
>"Oh Con, you're so noble." Novilo fanned himself dramatically, making Vitali laugh.<br>"I don't get it." Raoul grumbled, looking confused.


	12. Chapter 12

Conintor looked over at the woman as she gasped for breath on the couch, sweat beading on her forehead. Novilo, Raoul and Vitali were all at the Keep doing their studies… he didn't really know what to do.  
>"So, you live here with Novilo?" Serena whispered softly, turning her flushed face to look at him.<br>Conintor glanced at her and nodded softly, but remained silent.  
>"I've heard about you- they say you're pretty good at fighting?" She looked at him with soft green eyes.<br>"I suppose so." Conintor shrugged. "I don't like fighting, though."  
>Serena chuckled and looked back up at the ceiling. "You're probably annoyed with keeping me here in your home, huh?" She whispered.<br>"No, I'm just not used to being around women so much." Conintor said uneasily, squirming in his seat. "Especially when you're sick. I was never very good at taking care of sick people- that was always Arya's thing." Conintor looked down sadly, staring at his rough hands. He wasn't good at delicate work.  
>Serena looked over at him in surprise, seeing his sad expression. "What she someone close to you?"<br>"My sister. She was killed about half a year ago now." Gods, had it been that long? It felt like it was only a week ago…  
>"I'm sorry. I don't know what I'd do if Raoul died." Serena said sadly. "He's always been there for me. I've never really been very brave or strong- but he was born with magic, and he always seemed to know what to do." She said softly.<br>Conintor looked over at the woman with concern. "Then why do you stay with that guy that got you pregnant? You seem to be frightened of him."  
>Serena let out a long sigh, setting a hand on her round tummy. "I can't help it. He's so wonderful to me- he takes care of me, he insists that I'm the most wonderful woman in the world… but when he drinks, it's like he turns into a different person. It's like… he has another side of him."<br>Conintor sighed in frustration. "He shouldn't hurt you if he loves you."  
>Serena scoffed. "He doesn't hurt me. His… his other side does."<br>"It's still him, Serena." He looked over at her sternly. "It's still his hands that hurt you, and he knows better. Doesn't he ever feel bad about it?"  
>Serena bit her lip as tears welled into her eyes. "No. He's never apologized for it."<br>"Then he doesn't deserve you. You're a nice girl, you should find another man to be with." Conintor shrugged. "Plenty of men would like a girl like you."  
>Serena looked over at him with wide eyes. "Like you?"<br>Conintor looked at her in surprise. "Ah… no, I'm sorry. I'm… not really into women. You're a nice girl, and you're pretty, but…" He said, starting to panic.  
>"I'm just teasing you." Serena said, smiling wryly. "You're gullible, aren't you?"<br>Conintor grumbled, looking away in embarrassment.  
>"I figured you were like that because you live here with Novilo. It's no big deal." Serena sighed. "Raoul may feel differently, though. I'm honestly not sure what he'd think."<br>Conintor shrugged. "I'm kind of past caring what other people think. As long as they don't hurt Novilo."  
>Serena smiled. "You're protective of him, aren't you?"<br>Conintor grinned. "I can't help myself."  
>Serena giggled and set her hands on her stomach, feeling the child within and sighing in content.<p>

Conintor had fallen asleep in the chair, waking up to loud yells of pain in the room. He jumped out of his chair and looked around wildly to see Serena writhing on the couch, her teeth bared as she screamed in pain.  
>"Help!" She yelled, looking at him with wide eyes. "Don't let it die!" She screamed, holding onto her stomach as if she could keep her baby inside if she willed it.<br>"What?" Conintor yelled in terror, seeing the strange smelling liquid and a large pool of blood beneath the woman on the couch, dripping down onto the floor. "Oh Gods, they're not here yet- can't you hold it in or something?"  
>"I CAN'T HOLD IT IN, IDIOT!" Serena screamed as pain hit her again.<br>Conintor scrambled over to her, looking down and blanching at the bloody mess between her legs. "Uh…" He stared for a minute, dumbfounded as the door burst open, Vitali running inside.  
>She pushed him aside and looked down in panic as Raoul stared with wide eyes.<br>"Novilo- bring me hot water, a clean towel and if you have shears bring those too. The rest of you, OUT!" Vitali yelled. Conintor stared for a minute before shaking his head, coming out of his shock and grabbed Raoul, dragging him to the back room and shoving him in, shutting the door behind them.  
>"Let me back out there- she's in pain!" Raoul yelled, going toward the door.<br>"No, leave them be. They know what they're doing, we'll just get in the way." Conintor glared down at the smaller man.  
>Raoul glared back up at him, his red eyes flaring with anger as flames licked at his palms. "She's in trouble though, I should comfort her!"<br>"Raoul." Conintor held him by the shoulders, staring down at him. "You need to leave them to this- having a panicked man in the room will do nothing but harm."  
>Raoul looked away from Conintor's intense gaze and sighed in frustration. "Fine." He muttered in anger.<br>Conintor let go of his shoulders, sighing with relief. He looked toward the door, wincing in pity as another scream of pain sounded. Gods, thank goodness he never had to worry about neither he nor Novilo birthing! It sounded painful…  
>"I hope she'll be alright." Raoul said, sitting on the bed and setting his face in his hands in worry.<br>"Vitali will do her best. Just try and relax." Conintor said, trying to hide his trembling hands.

Novilo opened the door of the room, Raoul and Conintor standing up and looking at him, eager for news. Everything had been silent for a few minutes- then there was a soft sobbing from the room.  
>"It's a girl." Novilo said, his voice cracking with emotion. He glanced at Raoul before moving over to Conintor, setting his forehead against the larger man's chest. "She… didn't make it."<br>"Serena?" Raoul gasped in terror, his eyes wide.  
>"No, the baby." Novilo clutched handfuls of Conintor's shirt. "She died."<br>Conintor looked down at Novilo in concern and wrapped his arms around him for comfort, Raoul staring at them in surprise.  
>"You should probably go see Serena." Conintor looked at Raoul, who nodded cautiously and ran into the other room.<br>"We tried so hard, Conintor. She was so sick- so small… I've never seen a baby die before." Novilo said, tears burning his eyes.  
>"It's alright, Novilo. If you tried, that's all you could do." Conintor said, looking through the door into the other room as Vitali and Raoul tried to comfort Serena. She was clutching a small cloth-wrapped bundle to her chest, sobbing so hard her body shuddered with each gasp for air.<br>"She was really sick, Novilo. It's dangerous for a woman to be sick when she's with child." Conintor said softly. "I'm sorry. I know you tried to save it."  
>"I just feel terrible. I can't imagine what it must be like…" Novilo brought his head up to look at Serena, before looking away in pain. "Do you think she'll be okay?"<br>"I'm more concerned about that guy's reaction… Nostro. I can't help but think he'll blame her somehow."  
>Novilo stared up at him with wide fearful eyes. "You don't think he'll hurt her again because of this, do you?"<br>"I think so. She should probably stay here for a few more days until she calms down more. You should all get some sleep. Don't you have your final test coming up soon?" Conintor looked down at Novilo in concern.  
>"I had totally forgotten with this whole mess." Novilo said, wiping his reddened cheeks to try and look normal. "It just seems so insignificant now."<br>"You'll do fine- you're one of the best air magi I know. Just try your hardest, and leave taking care of Serena to me. She seems like she needs someone to just listen to what she's trying to say."  
>Novilo nodded and looked up at Conintor, a warm smile on his face. He grabbed two handfuls of the man's hair and tugged down so that Conintor leaned over with a surprised grunt. Novilo kissed him deeply and blushed, looking into Conintor's green eyes before walking back into the other room.<br>Conintor stared after him, blinking in surprise and grinning softly.


	13. Chapter 13

Raoul sighed, after bringing Serena back to her home. He had explained what had happened to Nostro, hardly able to keep back his fire magic as the man eyed Serena with anger. Rage still licked at him as he thought of what must be happening right now- but he was powerless to stop it. He had learned long ago that Serena would hate him if he hurt Nostro in any sort of way.  
>It was the worst type of dilemma; either keep the monster from hurting his beloved sister, or have his sister hate him. Either way, he was damned.<br>Raoul felt a small hand touch his arm, looking beside him in surprise to see Vitali watching him in concern.  
>"I'm sorry- it's just… he makes me so angry, and I can't do anything." Raoul glared back at the house, baring his teeth in a scowl.<br>"I know, I'm frustrated with it too. I don't like to see her hurt- she seems so frail." Vitali looked back at the house as well, and sighed in dismay. "The man didn't even see to the burying of his own child. What sort of man is that? I just can't even imagine that…" She shook her head in disgust.  
>Raoul looked down at her and shook his head as well. "I've never known what my sister sees in him. He just seems so terrible to me- yet she says there's another side of him he only shows her."<br>"I think most men are like that. They don't show how nice they can really be." Vitali whispered, blushing as she glanced to Raoul.  
>"What?" Raoul asked, unable to hear her as she mumbled. He tilted his head in confusion, his black hair falling into his face.<br>"Nothing." Vitali looked away quickly in embarrassment. "I was just saying that some men are really strange, is all."  
>Raoul looked at her skeptically and glanced over to a small shop on the side of the road, young magi sitting on the steps and eating ice cream. "Hey- do you want to get something to eat real quick?" He looked down at Vitali with a smile.<br>Vitali looked up at him in shock, a flush covering her cheeks. "Y-you mean… you want to….?" She stammered, tripping on her blue skirt when she was distracted.  
>"Careful." Raoul laughed as he caught her and stood her back up. She looked up at him with wide blue eyes, making him freeze as he stared into them. They paused for a moment before Raoul cleared his throat, looking away shyly. "Don't trip on anything." He muttered.<br>Vitali nodded and straightened her skirt, patting the dust off it from the dirt.  
>"Now, what were you saying?" Raoul looked down at her, an eyebrow raised curiously.<br>Vitali couldn't help but giggle at the expression, which only made him roll his eyes. "I was saying, are you asking me on a date, Mr. fire magi?" She smiled up at him shyly.  
>"Oh. Uh…" He looked down at her, noticing for the first time how pretty she was- she was pale, her skin delicate looking against her large intensely dark blue eyes. "I-if you're okay with it."<br>"Of course." Vitali smiled happily. "Come on!" She grabbed his robe and pulled him toward the ice cream shop as he laughed in amusement at her enthusiasm, following after her.

Conintor stood in the kitchen, trying to stir a pot of noodles that were roiling violently, making him look down at it in panic as the froth threatened to spill over the top.  
>"Hey Con?" Novi opened the door to the house, smelling the food and laughing in amusement.<br>"AH- you're home early!" Conintor said, trying not to sound too disappointed.  
>"Oh, thank you for the enthusiasm." Novilo laughed in amusement as he walked into the kitchen, unable to help but chuckle at the scene.<br>There were chopped vegetables everywhere- some of it having fallen off the counter and was lying on the floor.  
>Conintor looked up at him with a flustered expression, continuing his duty of stirring the noodles in the pot as they cooked.<br>"Here- let me." Novilo laughed, looking down onto the pot and unable to see anything but white froth. He blew a bit of air into the oven to cool the fire off a bit, the pot simmering down to a normal boil.  
>"I was trying to make you dinner." Conintor grumbled disgruntledly. "Since you finished today."<br>"You're so sweet." Novilo smiled over to Conintor. "But you know how you are with cooking."  
>Conintor sighed in dismay. "I had hoped noodles would be okay. You can't really burn them or anything."<br>"You can burn anything, dear. You have an amazing talent for it." Novilo looked into the pot, taking out the noodles and setting them in a metal cauldron Conintor had already set in the sink to drain them.  
>"Sit down, and I'll finish. It's really not a big deal." Novilo said, pushing Conintor back until he was sitting at one of the chairs of the table.<br>"But-"  
>"No buts. That's for later." Novilo grinned teasingly as Conintor flushed crimson and looked away. "Oh, I do love seeing you blush, Con-Bon."<br>"Yeah, I noticed." Conintor grumbled, but grinned wryly over at Novilo.  
>"Have you heard anything from Raoul or Vitali about Serena?" Novilo said casually, taking one of the noodles and chewing on it.<br>"Not since they left. I hope she'll be alright." Conintor said, his smile fading.  
>"I'm sure she'll be fine. If something happens, she promised to go to Vitali and Raoul to get healed." Novilo said, continuing to prepare the food.<br>"Do you think those two will get together?" Conintor asked Novilo with a wry smile.  
>"If Raoul can get through his thick head that Vitali likes him, then yes." Novilo laughed as he dished up two plates of the noodles. "There you go- Noodles, a 'la Novilo."<br>Conintor laughed and looked down at the strange mixture of vegetables and long noodles. "Thanks, Novi." He looked up to Novilo to see him slurping up one of the noodles, flinching when it swung and hit him in the eye.  
>They both laughed as they continued to eat, enjoying a small celebration of Novilo's success.<p>

"So, to celebrate our first anniversary of being together, I got a present for you." Raoul smiled happily at Vitali as he took out a long red cloth. "But first I have to blindfold you- I don't want you to see it until it's the right time."  
>"You know I don't like surprises." Vitali eyed him warily. The last time he had a 'surprise' for her, he had nearly burned her eyebrows off.<br>"This time will be different, I promise." Raoul said eagerly, holding up the cloth. "Please?"  
>"Fine." Vitali sighed, letting him tie the cloth around her eyes. He waved a hand in front of her face to make sure she couldn't see before smiling in satisfaction. He trotted over to behind a building, taking out Conintor's female elk he had borrowed. "I'm going to lift you up onto this elk, okay?" He asked, before hoisting her up by her waist onto the belled elk, which snorted at the added weight. He climbed up after her and flicked the reigns of the elk gently, motioning it to go forward into the forest. The elk looked at him skeptically before walking in among the trees, trotting against the rotting leaves on the ground.<br>They traveled for a few hours before they stopped, Raoul dismounting and bringing Vitali down with him. He untied the cloth from around her eyes, letting it slide into his hand to reveal the surprise.  
>They were standing in the middle of a thick forest, a small pond in front of them sparkling. Cat tails grew from the banks of the small body of water, curving down and waving in the wind.<br>"What is this place? It's beautiful." Vitali looked around with wide eyes at the shimmering lights that shown through the trees, the lush grass that covered the ground.  
>"This is… our keep." Raoul smiled happily down to her. "If you'd like."<br>"Our keep?" Vitali looked up at him with confusion.  
>"Yes. I'm asking you if you want to marry me." Raoul wrapped his arms around her, setting his cheek against her soft black hair.<br>Vitali gasped softly from within his embrace, her eyes wide. "Really?"  
>"Of course." Raoul chuckled in amusement. "It's not so hard to believe, is it? This last year has been amazing- I've never met anyone like you before."<br>Vitali bit her lip as tears threatened to fill her eyes. "Oh Raoul, yes- I will. Will we really live here, though?" She looked around at the beautiful scene. She couldn't imagine a better place to live.  
>"As soon as I build a house for us, yeah." He smiled, squeezing her in a hug. "I'll make you the happiest woman in the world. Maybe if we're lucky we'll be able to have a child, too."<br>"But… Raoul, we can't." Vitali looked up at him with a frown. "We're both magi."  
>"Ah yes, but neither of my parents have any magic. I was kind of a random occurrence in my family. So I have hope." He smiled.<br>"That would be amazing." Vitali said wistfully. She had always a big family, but knew that she'd never have one since she was a magi.  
>"I'll do my best." Raoul laughed warmly as they looked at the forest, imagining a sprawling keep among the trees.<br>"What should we name it?" Raoul looked down at her curiously.  
>Vitali thought for a minute before smiing. "Avalon Keep."<br>"Sounds good to me." Raoul said, looking up with interest as a white glimmer flashed through the trees before disappearing.


	14. Chapter 14

Conintor looked up from forming another sword as a knock sounded from the door. He set the sword down and opened the door, surprised to see Serena standing in the doorway, her green eyes wide.  
>"C-can I please come in?" She whispered, looking over her shoulder nervously.<br>"Of course." Conintor stood from the doorway to let her inside, watching her sit down on the couch. He looked out the door, seeing if anyone had followed Serena before closing the door and sitting on the couch beside her.  
>"So, what's wrong?" Conintor looked at the small woman as she stared at the ground shyly.<br>"I'm not sure how to say this…" She looked away in shame. "But with Raoul and Vitali on a honeymoon trip, I don't really have another place to go."  
>Conintor frowned solemnly. "He hurt you again?"<br>Serena looked up at him shyly, and smiled slightly. "Your face looks kind of funny when you're so serious."  
>Conintor sighed in frustration and put his palm to his face. "Great- so when I'm trying to be serious I look funny... fantastic. Either way, please answer my question." He took his hand away, looking down at Serena.<br>She lifted her shirt a bit, showing a large bruise that blossomed from her hip to her waist.  
>Conintor sighed unhappily, looking down at the bruise. "I really don't like that man." He growled angrily.<br>"But Vitali is gone… what should I do?" Serena looked nervously at Conintor. "If I go to another healer, they may take Nostro away…"  
>"Honestly, I couldn't care less what happens to the man. But that would make you look bad if your husband was arrested like that. So…" He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "I can try healing you… I learned a bit of earth healing in my studies, but… not much."<br>Serena looked up at him in surprise, a bright smiling coming over her face. "Oh, you'd do that for me?"  
>"Of course." Conintor said, amused by her sudden happiness. He stood up from the couch, motioning for her to lay down.<br>Serena leaned back against the cushions of the couch, unable to help but jump in surprise when he lifted her shirt carelessly to reveal the bruise.  
>"Aye, that's a nasty one." Conintor muttered in anger. He put his hands over the mark, hoping he remembered how to do this right…<br>Serena flinched in pain as the magic started working, her skin burning from the earth magic. "Ah, why does it hurt so much?" She whimpered.  
>"Earth healing isn't the best- why do you think healers are normally water magi?" Conintor said, hoping to try and calm her while he continued. She squirmed in pain as he reformed skin, healing blood vessels and working his best to do it right. Healing always made him nervous- it was so easy to do so much damage by mistake.<br>He sighed when he finished the healing and wiped the sweat that had beaded on his forehead from the concentration. "All done. You should be better now."  
>Serena nodded and slipped her shirt back down, sitting up as Conintor moved away from her to sit back beside her. "So… where's Novilo?" She looked around the house and saw no sign of the magi.<br>"Novi is training some recruits in small blades maneuvers. He should be back tonight." Conintor shrugged. He leaned back and glanced over to the woman as she watched the door uneasily.

"You probably think I'm weak for not wanting to leave Nostro, don't you?" She whispered uneasily.  
>Conintor watched her for a minute through the tension and let out a long sigh. "I don't think you're weak. I just think you're making a poor decision. The guy's a complete ass, and if he loved you he would never hurt you." He eyed her pointedly, trying to get his point across. "No matter how drunk he gets."<p>

Serena nodded softly. "Raoul tries to tell me that too- but… sometimes I see something in him that makes me stay- he has good in him, he just has a hard time expressing himself. It's that darn magic of his, it messes with his head I think."  
>Conintor was going to ask what she meant when a loud rapping came to the door, making Serena jump in shock with a loud squeak. Conintor frowned as he stood and walked over to the door, opening it slowly to reveal an angry man staring at him.<br>"Who are you?" The man growled in anger, his teeth grinding as his fists clenched at his sides.  
>"Conintor, earth magi and owner of the elk stables. Who are you?" Conintor asked, having never seen the man before. He heard another squeak from behind him and looked over his shoulder to see Serena staring at the man with wide green eyes.<br>"Serena!" The man yelled in anger. "What are you doing here? How many times have I told you to just stay at home until it's gone?"  
>Serena opened her mouth to say something and hesitated, closing it again when no words would come out.<br>"So you're Nostro?" Conintor eyed the man suspiciously. He was tall- about Conintor's height with dark wavy hair and light skin, contrasting against Serena's own darker tan skin as she sat on the couch staring at the two men.  
>"How do you know Serena?" Nostro's eyes narrowed suspiciously.<br>"I was only healing her- I'm friends with her." Conintor scoffed in disbelief. Was the man jealous? He couldn't be that overprotective of a woman he abused almost daily… could he? How did that make any sense?  
>"She doesn't need anyone's help?" Nostro growled, holding his hand out to her. "Come on Serena, we're going home. You don't need to be in some guy's house."<br>Serena nodded softly and walked up to the door, looking down in shame as she walked past Conintor as he stared at her in disbelief. She was leaving with him… again.  
>"Hey Con I'm home-" Novilo said, materializing in the living room as he flew through the window as wind. He stared at the scene in front of him in confusion, his purple eyes widening. "Who's that?"<br>"That's Serena's husband- you know, the one that abuses her?" Conintor hissed, glaring at the man.  
>"You live with another man?" Nostro said in shock, looking at Conintor with a mocking laughter in his eyes. "Don't tell me- you're gay? You like men?"<br>Serena made a small pained sound as Novilo tensed behind Conintor.  
>"You do! You're both absolute fags!" Nostro laughed harshly, brown eyes dark with a terrible amusement.<br>"Nostro- stop." Serena grabbed the man's sleeve gently, whispering softly to get him to stop.  
>"Stop?" Nostro stared down at her in disbelief. "You're the one that's friends with these… <em>men.<em> I can't believe this is where you disappear to!"  
>"They're my friends." Serena frowned.<br>"Not anymore." Nostro stared down at her harshly.  
>"But-" Serena protested and flinched as Nostro moved suddenly to raise a hand.<br>Conintor moved quickly, grabbing the man's wrist and squeezing tightly with callused hands. "Lay a hand on her and I'll riddle you with stones." He said calmly, his voice dark and even.  
>"Just try." Nostro said, his eyes glowing as he clenched his hand.<br>"Conintor, don't!" Serena yelled as the men came apart from each other. Nostro stumbled as Conintor threw him backwards by his arm and followed him out the doorway.  
>"Con!" Novilo yelled in concern, but took Serena back into the house as the men rounded on each other, both taking on a dueling stance.<br>"You don't deserve her- all you ever do is hurt her." Conintor hissed.  
>"Oh, and you'd rather she be alone? I'm sure she'd have something to say about that." Nostro smiled wryly.<br>Conintor growled in anger and leaned down, shoving his fists against the dirt of the street so that stones seeped up over his fist, making a second hardened skin over his own. He smashed the two fists of rock together- pebbles flying off as he prepared to fight the man.  
>Nostro tilted his head with a dark smile and reached down, placing his own fists against the ground. Conintor watched in shock as the same magic gave him a similar advantage, stone covering his skin.<br>"What the hell?" He whispered to himself in shock. As far as he knew he was the only stone magi in Synara… then how did this guy know how to wield stone magic so readily?  
>He shifted his duel stance, suddenly realizing this was not going to be as easy as he had thought it would be.<p> 


	15. Chapter 15

Conintor watched Nostro raise his stone-covered fists, pebbles falling from his skin as he fought to keep the stone together. Ah- so it wasn't a trick. He really was using that magic, but from the looks of it he wasn't very adept at it…  
>Conintor flexed his hands for a minute before glancing over his shoulder at Novilo and Serena's concerned expression- and found it amusing that they were both staring at Conintor in concern- no one cared about this man after all.<br>"Maybe I should come back after I beat you and knock some sense into that little man of yours" Nostro grinned. "It looks like he could use some."  
>Conintor growled low in warning before rushing forward. He raised his hands, a stone circle rising around Nostro so that he tripped as he backed up, falling to the ground with a yell of surprise as Conintor took him by the scruff of the shirt with one stone-covered hand. The stones fell of Nostro's hands as his concentration broke, his eyes wide as he stared at Conintor in shock. Conintor looked down at him for a minute with wild angry eyes and smashed his fist into the man's jaw, hearing a satisfying crunch under the stone. He gripped his shirt and brought him closer as Nostro gasped for breath through pain.<br>"If I ever see you back here again, or you don't let Serena come back here, I will not have any mercy on you. Both of us know what a sniveling little coward you really are, beating a woman and threatening a man half your size. If you want a good fight, come any time and I'll remind you why you don't deserve anything you have, you rotten bastard." Conintor said lowly to Nostro, before letting his shirt as the man fell to the ground. Nostro stared up at him for a minute before wiping the blood from his mouth and scrambling to his feet. His expression turned dark as he turned around and walked back down the street in the direction he had come from, trying to hide his wounds from other people who stared at him after seeing the fight.  
>Conintor let the stones fall off his hands, flexing his fingers as he turned and walked back over to Novilo and Serena.<br>"Oh Conintor, my big strong man." Novilo swooned playfully. Serena smiled weakly at the comment, but looked after Nostro as he walked away.  
>"I should probably go see if he's alright." She whispered, then looked over to Conintor. "Thank you, for trying to help." She whispered before running after Nostro.<br>"Wha- Okay, now I'm confused. I thought she didn't really like him." Novilo looked after her as she ran off.  
>"Love is blind… and apparently sometimes stupid." Conintor sighed in frustration and looked back to Novilo. "How was your training?"<br>Novilo smiled. "Apparently they want me to come back. I must be pretty good at fighting as well, hmm?"  
>"When we spar I can't even touch you." Conintor scoffed. "How can you think you weren't good?"<br>Novilo shrugged and held Conintor's arm as they walked inside. "I guess because I'm not as strong as you." He smiled.  
>"You don't have to be strong." Conintor said insistently. "Your strength is in your speed."<br>Novilo smiled warmly and closed the door behind them, looking up to Conintor with a mischievous grin. "How about I show you how speedy you can be too?"  
>Conintor blushed as Novilo dragged him across the living room to the bedroom, shoving him inside before closing the door behind them.<p>

Conintor looked out the window thoughtfully, amused at how quickly a few years could pass. Vitali had given birth to her first child, an adorable baby girl with her father's eyes but her mother's attitude. Raoul was almost done building the cabin, which was big enough to house several families.  
>"Watcha thinking of, big guy?" Novilo said, looking up at Conintor while he leaned against his shoulder.<br>"I was just thinking of Raoul, Vitali and little Pheona." Conintor said with a gentle shrug so he didn't disturb Novilo.  
>"Ah, Vitali wanted to go shopping for a new dress tomorrow. That girl's growing fast." Novilo smiled.<br>"Not another frilly pink thing" Conintor looked down at him in exasperation.  
>"Why not?" Novilo chuckled in amusement. Vitali reveled in dressing Pheona in pink lacy dresses.<br>They both looked up at a knock on the door, quiet and shy.  
>"I'll bet that's Serena." Conintor smiled. Only she was shy enough to knock that softly.<br>"I'll get it." Novilo said, vanishing into a purple breeze and rematerializing at the door to open it.  
>It was indeed Serena, who was looking around in her usual nervous manner. "Hey Novilo, Conintor." She said, smiling softly.<br>"What can we do for you, sweetie?" Novilo asked, moving aside to let Serena into the house.  
>"I was hoping I could use one of the elk to ride to Avalon? I'd like to speak with Vitali." She whispered, glancing out the window.<br>"Let me guess- Nostro doesn't know you're here?" Conintor said with a frown at her anxious behavior.  
>Serena shook her head softly. "He doesn't like me coming here." She said sadly.<br>"Probably because Con kicked his ass last time." Novilo muttered with a smile of amusement.  
>"You can take Prancer if Novilo and I can come with you. Just in case." Conintor said, standing from the couch.<br>"Of course." Serena said, smiling with relief.  
>"Good- I'll saddle up Saiga and Prancer then. We should be there by this afternoon." Conintor said, stretching before walking forward toward the door.<br>"You guys are both so nice to me." Serena smiled happily. "Thank you."  
>"No big deal, sweetie." Novilo said softly, and looked over to Conintor. "I'll meet you guys there, I'm taking the express route." He said, vanishing into wind and flowing out an open window.<br>Conintor rolled his eyes with a grin and opened the door for Serena before walking over to the stables to ready the elk.


	16. Chapter 16

Conintor and Serena rode into Avalon, looking around at the hundreds of creatures running through the forest around them.  
>"They've been busy." Conintor chuckled in amusement. Most of the creatures were draconian- Raoul seemed to have an affinity for them.<br>Serena nodded as she looked around with wide eyes. They rode over to the cabin, where Novilo and Vitali stood talking, little Pheona sitting on Novilo's shoulders while he held her legs for support.  
>"Ah, there you are." Vitali smiled to them in greeting. "Novilo said you'd be arriving soon."<br>Conintor dismounted Saiga, walking over to Serena to help her down as well. She dropped down as Conintor caught her, faltering a bit as she wobbled on her feet.  
>"You okay?" He said in concern.<br>"Yeah." Serena smiled reassuringly and walked over to Vitali and Novilo with Conintor.  
>Raoul walked out of the cabin, looking to Serena with a smile after looking her over. "Hey sis, what brings you here?"<br>"I was hoping Vitali would check something for me. I want to be sure before telling anyone." Serena said, ignoring Raoul's confused expression.  
>"Sure dear, we'll go inside and leave the men to talk." Vitali smiled softly, leading Serena inside. Raoul watched after them and sighed in frustration. "Women." He muttered.<br>"I know." Novilo smiled in amusement, making Conintor and Raoul laugh.  
>Pheona reached for her father, leaning over so that Novilo passed the child to him. He tossed her up into the air playfully before settling her on his shoulders.<br>"So how have you two been doing lately?" Raoul asked.  
>"Good- though obviously not as busy as you've been." Conintor said, pointing to the finished cabin behind them.<br>"Yeah… I think I went a little overboard. Oh well, at least visitors will be comfortable, right?" He chuckled.  
>"Yeah- all 50 of them." Novilo grinned.<br>Someone yelled from inside the cabin, followed by laughter. Raoul looked to the door with a confused expression, waiting for Vitali and Serena to walk back out.  
>"I was right." Serena said, beaming happily. "I'm going to have another child."<br>Conintor smiled in relief as Novilo squealed happily, clapping his hands in excitement.  
>"I'm glad, sis." Raoul smiled warmly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder affectionately.<br>Serena looked at her friends happily, glad she was able to share the news with them.

A loud screeching sound cried out overhead, making them all look up in surprise as something catapulted through the air. A large fireball pummeled into the ground of the forest a short distance away, making them all struggle for balance as the ground shook.  
>"That… was odd." Conintor said uneasily, looking in that direction as Raoul nodded grimly in agreement.<br>"Vitali dear, take Pheona. I'm going to go check out what that was." Raoul took Pheona off his shoulders as she cried in fright at the loud sound and shaking.  
>"It's okay, sweetie." VItali said as she walked Raoul, Conintor and Novilo walk into the forest to investigate the crash.<p>

"I smell it, so it must be nearby." Conintor said, moving branches aside as they made their way through the thick forest. He looked up at a fallen tree, freshly snapped from its trunk and followed the direction of the trunk to see a massive pile of red and gold scales, fire licking at the edges of the crater in which the creature had fallen.  
>"Stay back here for a minute- it looks like a fire drake." Raoul said cautiously, the fire mage moving forward in his red and gold robes, looking as if he matched the creature perfectly as he approached it. The drake let out a low growl and shifted, lifting its head to look at Raoul with bright eyes, the slit-like pupils adjusting to the light as Raoul froze in place anxiously.<br>Novilo gripped Conintor's sleeve nervously, knowing all too well how hot-headed fire drakes were.  
>The fire drake let out a puff of smoke from its nostrils and laid its head back down, gasping for breath as its tongue lolled out of its mouth.<br>"It looks like it's in pain." Raoul said in concern, walking over to the creature. It seemed like a younger drake- it was only as tall as he was, while most were a bit taller than this. He rested his hand against the drake's red scales, feeling the warmth that came from its inner furnace of fire through its skin.  
>"We should take it back to Avalon- Vitali may be able to heal it." Conintor suggested as he and Novilo walked over once they saw the drake wasn't going to attack.<br>"That's a good idea. Could you guys help me carry it?" Raoul said, resting his hand against the drake's cheek reassuringly. "It'll be alright big guy, we're going to take care of you, alright?"  
>Much to Raoul's surprise the drake nodded slightly and let the three men pick it up, trudging back through the forest with the drake toward Avalon.<p>

"What happened? Was that what fell?" Vitali asked, setting Pheona down on the ground as Raoul, Conintor and Novilo set the drake down carefully.  
>"Yeah- I think he's hurt." Raoul said, rubbing his shoulders from carrying the heavy beast such a distance.<br>"I'll do my best." Vitali said in concern, making sure Pheona stood back from the drake as he sputtered out a smoky cough against the ground. Vitali rested her slender hands on the dragon's head, noticing the drake look up at her warily with its black slitted eyes. She flowed her magic through the creature, the drake letting out a low hiss of relief as the pain faded.  
>Vitali stood back and let the drake stand, looking around him at the humans. The fire-wings that flared from his back faded into the spine of flames that went from his head to his tail. He let out a low growl and nodded to them in thanks.<br>"Seems to be okay now." Conintor glanced over to Vitali, who nodded with relief. The drake tapped its foot impatiently, as if waiting for something.  
>"Welcome to Avalon." Raoul said with a smile at the drake's personality. "You may stay here if you'd like, or you may leave to go to your destination. The choice is yours, fire drake- though you are welcome to stay here as long as you'd like."<br>Pheona rushes past her mother, much to Vitali's horror, and grabbed onto the drake's leg in a friendly hug. "Fire thing stay!" She said in protest as the drake looked down at her in surprise.  
>Raoul watched with curiosity as the drake set its claws gently on the child's head and puffed out a ring of smoke from its nostrils. This drake was… different from most drakes for some reason. It seemed much more calm- much more friendly than usual.<br>The drake pushed Pheona away gently and leaned down, using his claw to draw something into the dirt. It leaned back up and waited for the humans to look at what it had drawn.  
>'Asim'. Was clawed into the dirt in messy handwriting- but no one there had ever seen a creature write anything before, so they were all too busy staring at the words in shock to try and realize what it meant.<br>The drake growled indignantly and pointed to the word, then to himself.  
>"I think that's his name." Novilo said in realization after the shock wore off. The drake nodded eagerly in agreement, then sat down on the ground, its tail curling around him.<br>"Interesting…" Raoul said thoughtfully, glancing over at the drake. "Apparently our new addition to the keep seems to be… strange. This will be interesting." He smiled eagerly at the chance to communicate with a draconian creature.


End file.
